I think anyone with curly hair can agree that it can be pretty difficult to care for.
A lot of us grew up fighting our curls and praying for good hair days, with very little control over how our hair would look from day to day.
If you’re new to curly hair care, the odds are there are some very basic things you’re doing that are actually damaging your curls and making them more unreliable.
This isn’t entirely your fault. A lot of people think you can approach curls the same way you approach straight hair, and that’s just not the case.
While there are plenty of things curlies should do differently, here are the 5 biggest (plus, here’s how the Curly Girl Method can help with each)!
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5 Big Don’ts of curly hair care
Brushing
Everyone needs to detangle their hair in some fashion.
But if you’re trying to detangle your hair with a brush while your hair is dry (like someone with straight hair might), you’re really setting yourself up for puffy, frizzy hair.
When you brush your hair dry like this, you’re brushing the curl right out of your hair, and likely creating friction which contributes to frizz.
Brushing or detangling your curls dry should be avoided at all costs.
Heat
By this point, I think it’s pretty much common knowledge that heat isn’t great for any kind of hair, but it’s particularly damaging to curls.
In order for curls to look their best they need a fair amount of moisture.
So if you use heat (either with a blow dryer, straightener, curling iron, etc), you’re inherently drying out your hair.
This is going to lead to fried, frizzy, undefined curls.
Over-washing
Hygiene is great! But when it comes to hair care–especially curly hair care–most of us have reached the point where we’re over-washing.
Like we just touched on, curls need a fair amount of moisture. And honestly, the best kind of moisture they can get is your own natural, moisturizing oils.
If you wash too often, you’re stripping your hair of natural oils that would help your hair look it’s best.
And this is doubly true if you use a sulfate shampoo (as most shampoos are), which is basically designed to strip your hair of its natural oils.
Most of us were taught to wash our hair every time we shower, which is often daily. But when it comes to curls, that’s a little too frequent.
Skimping on conditioner
Again, creating killer curls hinges on keeping them hydrated. The best and easiest way to do that is by conditioning.
However, most curlies are under-conditioning their hair.
Some may even take great pride in finishing the shampoo and conditioner at roughly the same time, like I used to.
If that’s the case, your hair is likely not as hydrated as it needs to be if you want bouncy, frizz-free curls.
Being afraid to use gel
A lot of people shy away from gel. This is mostly because of the hard, crunchy reputation most gels have.
There’s the belief that gel means a crunchy wet look and feel that deters a lot of people. I can totally relate to this. I avoided gel for years for this very reason.
But the thing is, if you have a wet, tacky, or crunchy outcome, you’re either using way too much gel or you’re not using it properly.
When gel is used correctly, it leaves curls soft, contained, and frizz free.
However, it’s worth mentioning, this is probably the softest “no” on this list.
No product is for everyone, and you may find it doesn’t work that great for you, even if you do everything right.
But for what it’s worth, gel quickly becomes a BFF of most curly girls I know, so I don’t recommend avoiding it on reputation alone.
How the Curly Girl Method can help
The Curly Girl Method absolutely revolutionized curly hair care for me!
I’ve been following it for over two years now and I can honestly say my hair has never looked better or been easier to care for.
I’d suggest checking out the Curly Girl Handbook if you want to get a good understanding of the principles behind this method.
If you think you’d like an in-depth guide for the method itself, check out my No-Stress Guide to the Curly Girl Method!
Now, here’s how the Curly Girl Method helps those five big NOs.
It promotes shower detangling
The Curly Girl Method teaches that the only time you really want to be detangling your hair is in the shower when it’s loaded with conditioner.
You can use a wide-tooth comb or a wet brush if you really want to, but you actually don’t need anything other than your finger tips.
This approach makes detangling easy and allows your hair to dry tangle-free, so you don’t have to brush any of your curls out for tangle-free hair.
It promotes avoiding heat
The Curly Girl Method promotes the avoidance of heat. If you’re used to blow drying, you still can, you just want to make sure you’re using a diffuser and keep the heat settings low.
There are several other heat-free options for drying your hair that the Curly Girl Method explores.
And while the Curly Girl Method, in its purest form, advocates pretty strongly for no heat of any kind, I’m of the belief that you don’t have to be strict about the Curly Girl Method if you don’t want to be.
I wouldn’t recommend using heat regularly, but if you want to straighten your hair once or twice a year, your hair’s likely still going to be in pretty good shape.
It teaches you how to get days out of a single wash (and still have great hair!)
Before the Curly Girl Method, I thought I had to wash my hair every day to get hair that was presentable.
But it turns out, I don’t!
At this point, I only wash my hair once every 5-6 days and refresh in between.
It took me some time to figure out how to make this work for me, but now that I have, it’s totally changed my life.
My hair is healthier because it’s got my natural oils keeping it hydrated and I save so much time now that I don’t have to wash and dry my hair on a regular basis.
It promotes conditioner and hydration
The Curly Girl Method helps you understand how much conditioner you need to be using to get your hair too look it’s best.
It also breaks down the numerous other ways you can easily add moisture to your hair to achieve the right balance.
In addition, you’ll learn the number of ways you may be taking moisture out of your hair and gain some new tips to correct this.
It promotes the use of gel (and teaches you how to use it properly)
Before the Curly Girl Method, I avoided gel because I hated the crunchy curls I was left with.
Turns out, I was using gel incorrectly!
The Curly Girl Method teaches you that gel is a two step process.
The first step is applying the gel and letting it dry.
The second step is breaking up that crunch to reveal soft curls that (with the right gel and product combo) can last for days!
It can absolutely be a curly girl’s holy grail.
Looking for more guidance on your curly hair journey?
For beginners
If you’re new to curly hair care and looking for some help, you should check out the No-Stress Guide to Curly Hair Care!
After spending two years learning and caring for my curly hair, I wanted to create my own, in-depth guide to help fellow curlies create incredible curls in the easiest way possible.
It took me a while, but I eventually found an approach that helped me create a curly hair routine that fits into my life in the simplest way possible. And now I want to help you do the same!
For more intermediate/advanced guidance
If you’ve been on your curly hair journey for a while but still have some struggles, check out Curly Hair Problems!
After spending hours scouring the internet looking for solutions to my own curly hair problems, I found myself wishing for an easier, more comprehensive guide to the most common problems.
So that’s what I created!
Curly Hair Problems offers you 78 total solutions to the five most common curly hair care problems, including frizz, curl clumps, limp curls, product issues, and scalp issues.
Sound off: What are some of your curly hair big Don’ts? Tell us about it in the comments!
I have curly hair but have damaged it by trying to straighten it. My hair is left coarse and frizzy.
My hair has broken off in my bangs and sides of hair.
Where I struggle the most is with my bangs and side. I don’t know how to fix it. I look like I have a mullet which I do because of breakage. The back will look ok but not the front.
People always tell me to leave it curly after they see them from dirty lake water and boating. Have no idea why they look semi better then.
How can I fix my top and side of hair?
Thanks